Trent Reznor is known for taking his time when it comes to Nine Inch Nails studio albums. Five years went by between the release of The Downward Spiral and The Fragile, and it was another six years after that until he gave us With Teeth. Lots of factors go into the waits: touring, remix albums, other musical ventures, and until a few years ago, a battle with drug abuse. I think the biggest factor, however, is Reznor's perfectionism; he takes the time to make sure his music meets his own high standards.

But after 2005's With Teeth, Reznor took a look at the world and realized that there was no time to waste in getting his new message heard. Luckily, the rush did not hurt the final product, as 2007's Year Zero is not only worthy of the name Nine Inch Nails, it is a creative, urgent, and downright frightening warning of where our world might be headed.

Before Year Zero's release, Reznor unleashed upon his fans one of the most in-depth marketing campaigns in history by turning the album's promotion into a game that blurred the lines between fiction and reality. MP3s were left on flash drives in bathroom stalls for fans to find and share. Tour t-shirts contained hidden messages which turned out to be websites. The somewhat interactive websites, set in the year 2022, gave vague but disturbing views of a Brave New World-style United States. The buzz for this album was big - would Year Zero live up to the hype?

The answer is a resounding hell yes. Year Zero is a typically ferocious electronic metal album, but this time instead of singing about personal pain, Reznor directs his anger toward the government by continuing the dystopian near future concept of the game that started before the album's release. Reznor calls Year Zero the "soundtrack to a movie that doesn't exist," and it sounds like if it did exist, it would be a pretty kickass movie.

"HYPERPOWER!" perfectly sets the album's tone. This brief but ominous electric marching beat sounds like the frightening cadence of those in power stomping through the country on day one of Year Zero. "The Beginning of the End" follows as an intense but still catchy track that furthers the sense that world is a completely different place, and not for the better. First single "Survivalism" has a ferocious chorus and creeping verses with an electronic grind that puts forth an air of desperation, as its sound makes it easy to picture someone running and hiding for his or her life.

There is much more excellence past that first one-two-three punch. The album's theme is continued further and backed by a wide array of variations on the Nine Inch Nails style, from intensely heavy to soft and brooding to downright danceable. "The Good Soldier" uses a pretty (by NIN standards) beat behind the inner monologue of a soldier "trying to believe" while coming to the realization that he may be killing for a corrupt government. The heavy-machinery-come-to-life sound of "Vessel" is vintage Nine Inch Nails, and its huge chorus ("My God / Can it go any faster? / Oh my God / I don't think I can last here") is an album highlight. The same goes for the eerie-to-explosive "Meet Your Master" and "My Violent Heart," which contains, in between soft verses, defiant bursts of "On hands and knees / We crawl / You can not stop us all!"

One of the most fun tracks is "Capital G," which seems to be about George W. Bush. Driven by a funky beat, this song blasts the administration's stances on war, global warming, and poverty with lyrics delivered in such a way that you might think Reznor is having fun portraying this character he loathes. One of the album's most memorable is "God Given," a hard hitting club-banger; leave it Reznor to give you something to dance to as he continues his dire warnings.

Not every track is a barn burner, and that causes the album to feel a bit long at times. Some might say this 16-track album could have been pared down a bit, but I feel that even the songs that don't quite stand out do serve to string the others together rather than make the album drag. Besides, its themes of apathy, submission, and depression need to be illustrated by downtrodden beats just as the themes of rage and rebellion are explored through intensity.

Overall, this is not the most accessible Nine Inch Nails album. Though it has immediate standouts, it takes time to really get into Year Zero as a whole. But don't let that discourage you. This is an excellent work that has Reznor exploring new sounds and themes while still giving fans the Nine Inch Nails style we love. The fact that it's a concept album only adds to the intrigue and insures that it will be discussed within Nine Inch Nails circles for decades to come. This isn't the album I would give a curious listener looking to get into the band, but I would say that no collection is complete without it. Year Zero shows that Trent Reznor is still a musical genius, even if I hope that none of his visions for the future come true.


Also from Nine Inch Nails:

Pretty Hate Machine
Broken
The Downward Spiral
With Teeth
Ghosts I-IV


Recommended: Yes